Titanium doped sapphire (Ti:Al2O3) shows a 420 nm blue emission band whose corresponding excitation band lies at 244 nm. With the aim of ascertaining the origin of this blue emission, using synchrotron radiation we measured the vacuum ultraviolet to ultraviolet absorption spectrum of titanium doped sapphire. It is suggested that the blue emission is due to a center other than a trivalent Ti3+ion or a tetravalent Ti4+ion, most probably an F+‐type color center formed in the crystal. ©1995 American Institute of Physics.